Golf club carrier



July 5, 1949. R. A. MERRILL GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed Nov. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iza ' INVENTOR.

Passer A. Meee/u.

July 5,' 1949.

R. A. MERRILL GOLF CLUB CARRIER 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Nov. 10, 1945 I m I 1 1 I IN V EN TOR. 205527-14. M542 E/. z.

By ATTOQA/' K Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF CLUB CARRIER Robert A. Merrill, Nashville, Tenn.

Application November 10, 1945, Serial No. 627,826

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a game accessory and has particular reference to a device for transporting and storing the various implements and appurtenances essential to the game of golf.

As is well known, in playing golf in the usual manner, an assortment of golf clubs, as Well a gOlf balls and tees, must be carried about the golf course by the player or his attendant. These items are generally carried in a bag of leather or the like, the entire assembly usually constituting a source of annoyance, particularly due to its weight. I-Ieretofore, in order to facilitate transporting such golf bags, wheeled carriages have been provided on which the bags and the implements therein, are set. Such carriages are rather bulky since they are necessarily difiicult to store and generally require separate handling of both the bag and the carriage.

One object of the invention is to provide a light and compact golf implement carrying de vice.

Another object of the present invention is to consoldidate a golf bag and carriage therefor.

A further object is to provide a golf implement carrying device which may be set in upright position when not being moved about.

Another object is to provide an improved form of golf ball container and dispenser for a golf implement container.

A still further object is to provide an improved form of clothes compartment for a golf bag.

The manner in which the above and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be readily understood on reference to the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side view of a golf implement containing device embodying the present invention, said View illustrating the container in an upright position with the carriage locked in a transporting position.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the device;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the device, illustrating the carriage in a storing position.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the telescoping member of the carriage.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional View, with parts broken away, of the container.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a modified form of the invention, illustrating the golf implement containing device in upright position and with the carriage thereof in a transporting condition.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, inculsive, the device comprises an elongated cylindrical olf club container ll, preferably constructed of sheet metal so as to be self-supporting. The container is closed at its lower end by a bottom plate 12 which is somewhat larger in diameter than the diameter of the container whereby to form a substantial base for standing the container on end.

A carriage, generally indicated at [3, and provided for the purpose of wheeling the container about, is integrally attached to the container. The carriage comprises a U-shaped frame including two tubular members l4 integrally attached to a cross member I 5 forming an axle for a pair of supporting wheels l-B located on opposite sides of the container. The members M are pivotally attached at their upper ends to the sides of the container H by trunnions '20. A central telescoping tubular member is provided to locate the carriage in its different positions and com prises a lower section I! integrally attached to the cross piece [5 and an upper section l8 pivo'tally attached at l9 to the upper portion of the container. The section I"! comprises a short tube Ila (Fig. 5) slidable within the section E8.

The carriage is adapted to be locked in either a "transporting position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or in a storing position illustrated in Fig. 4. The locking device comprises a latch 2| (Fig. 5) pivoted at 22 to ears extending upwardly from the upper tubular section I8. The latch is pressed in a clockwise direction by a tension spring 23 having one leg thereof secured to the section l8 and the other leg thereof underlying a tail 2 la on the latch. A bolt 24 is formed on the lower end of the latch and passes through an aperture in the-section l8. The bolt 24 also extends, when the sections I 1 and I8 are telescoped as shown in Fig. 5, through an aperture in the portion Ila of the lower section I1, thus holding the carriage 13 in its transporting position. Another aperture 25 may, if desired, be provided in the upper portion of the tubular section Ila, to allow the latch bolt 24 to be inserted therein when the sections I! and 18 are in their extended positions whereby to lock the carriage in its storing position illustrated in Fig. 3.

It will be noted that when the carriage I3 is in its transporting position the lower peripheries of the wheels l6 lie tangent to a plane passing through the base I2 so that when the container is placed in an upright position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the wheels and base l2 will form a. 3-point support to adequately maintain the container in upright position.

It will be further noted that the lower tubular section I! is bent at an angle whereby, when the access to the different tubes.

carriage I3 is collapsed into a storing position (Fig. 3) the frame formed by the tubular members l4 will be allowed to swing into a position wherein the wheels I6 are directly below the container so as to take up a minimum amount of space laterally. Also, in this position the tubular members will all lie closely adjacent the container I l.

A handle 26 is provided at the top of the container to aid in handling the latter and is mounted on links 21 pivotally attached at 28 to the sides of the container.

In the lower portion of the container I I there is integrally attached to the container wall a semi-circular plate I26 having the free edge thereof covered with a soft bumper I21. 'The plate is provided to support the handles of the shorter golf clubs.

Integrally attached to a rim I28 at the top of the container are a pair of spaced transversely extending separating rods I23 provided to space the golf clubs into differentgroups.

The interior of the container II is preferably covered with fabric cloth I30 or the like to prevent wear and noise.

A golf ball container is integrally attached to the wall of the main container I I and comprises a tube '29 (Fig. 6) wherein golf balls indicated by dotted lines 30 may be stored, :One on top of each other. The tube is closed at its lower end and open at its upper end. The latter has a freely 'slidable shelf 3| on which the balls 30 rest. A tab 32 extending from the shelf 3I passes through a longitudinally extending slot 33 in the tube whereby the shelf may be raised to eject the golf balls, one at a time, from the top of the tube.

A pair of tubes 34 are integrally attached to opposite sides of the ball tube 29 for storing tees or the like. At the bottom of each of these tubes .is provided a hole 2.9a through which a pencil or the like may be inserted to eject the tees from the top.

A cover 35 extends coextensively over the tubes 29 and 34 and is pivoted 58,036 to the container I I whereby it may be swung upwardly to allow A wire spring clip 35a is provided to frictionally engage the interior of the golf tube and thus hold the cover in position when covering the tubes.

Means are provided for storing clothes, etc.

and comprises a box-like container 31 having a front wall 38, rearwardly extending side walls 39, a bottom wall 40 and a top wall 40a. The container 31 :is guided toward and away from the main container I I by side plates 41 secured to the wall of the container H. That is, the sides 39 of the container 3] are guided by the close fitting plates 4|.

Springs 42, located in each of the corners of the container 31, are tensioned between the front wall of the container and the wall of the container II to normally hold the container 31 in intimate contact with the container II as illustrated. However, the springs permit the clothes container to .be pulled-outwardly, as by a handle 43, to allow clothes or the like to be inserted therein. The container 31 is limited in outward movement at its lower end by a pin and slot arrangement comprising pins 44 extending laterally from the sides 39 of container 31 and movable along laterally extending slots 45 in the guide plates 4|.

For the purpose .of preventing unauthorized .opening of the clothes container, an angle piece a is mounted atthe'top of the container in juxta may be stood upright in its illustrated position.

A pair of circular plates 53 and 54 are secured to the stand 5I- adjacent the top and bottom thereof, respectively. These plates have a series of aligned openings 55 therein through which the handles of golf clubs, as indicated by the dot and dash lines 56, may be inserted.

The tubular stand 5| may be utilized to contain a series of golf balls in the same manner as the tube 29 (Fig. 6), and for this purpose a longitudinally movable shelf 3Ia is fitted within the stand, the shelf being provided with a tab 32a movable along a longitudinally extending slot (not shown) whereby the shelf may be raised to eject balls from the top of the stand.

A carriage generally indicated at I3a and similar to the carriage I3 of Figs. 1 to 6, is provided to wheel the stand and to also form a 3-point support therefor when it is stood upright, it being noted that the bottoms of the peripheries of the wheels I6a lie tangent to a plane passing through the base plate 52.

Having thus described the invention what .I claim as new and desire to obtain by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In .a device of the character described, an elongated container, a frame, a pair of coaxially extending supporting wheels for said frame, means pivotally supporting said container intermediate its ends on said frame, .an extensible member having one section thereof connected to said frame and another section thereof pivotally connected to said container above said first mentioned means, and means for selectively locking said member against extension whereby to maintain said container in transporting position and for permitting said sections to extend relative to each other whereby to permit said container to be located in storing position.

2. In a device of the character described, a carrier, a frame, a pair of coaxially extending supporting wheels for said frame, coaxially extending supporting wheels rotatably mounted at one end of said frame, means pivotally connecting said frame adjacent the opposite end thereof to said carrier above the bottom thereof, the relationship of the position of said pivotal connection to said frame being such that said frame may be swung from a position wherein said wheels are located to one side of said carrier in a transporting position to a position wherein said wheels are located below :and adjacent the bottom of said carrier in a storing position, an extendable device connecting said frame and said carrier, said device comprising a lock effective to lock said frame in said transporting position, and said de- I said frame adjacent the opposite end thereof to =75.

said carrier above the bottom thereof. the relationship of the position of said pivotal connection to said frame being such that said frame may be swun from a position wherein said wheels are located to one side of said carrier in a transporting position to a position wherein said wheels are located below and adjacent the bottom of said carrier in a storing position, an extendable device connecting said frame and said carrier, said device comprising a lock effective to lock said Number frame in either of said positions, and said device 10 2,359,870

being arranged to extend adjacent said container when said frame is in said storing position.

ROBERT A. MERRILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 

